herndonb

Responses from herndonb

Are there used/mint balanced pre-amp with a few unblanced inputs under $2000??
Krell KAV-280P 
Do they make a quiet great sounding phono pre amp??
Krell KPE reference!http://www.stereophile.com/content/krell-kpe-kpe-reference-phono-preamplifiers-wes-phillips-reviewed... 
Why do I keep torturing myself with remasters?
Oleschool,I too have had terrible luck with remasters, SHM-SACDs, and almost everything MoFi.  They are all soft, EQ'd, compressed, based up, etc. very disappointed in the difficulty of finding "the right" as in best, version of an album.  Argh!  ... 
Subwoofer hunt
Elac SUB 2070 sounds awesome!  Opposed/vibration cancelling configuration, zero cabinet vibration, zero vibration transmitted to the floor.  Effortless.  :-)  
Cable Controversy
Purist Audio Design, once you hear them, all of the others sound broken. 
Best Small Floorstanding Speaker under $2K
The Elac UF5 is an amazing 3-way, floor standing speaker, just 1000/pair too... 
XLR-Balanced Hybrid Hi-End Cable
Purist Audio Design, over 30 years of making awesome cables 
Matching a McIntosh 275 amp +C50 Pre-Amp +B&W 804D3's w/ spkr cable Transparent?
**Purist Audio Design dealer disclaimer**Just installed some Purist Venustas Luminist bi-wire speaker cable for a customer with 804D2s.  "I can't believe how open, detailed, and fulfilling these speakers now sound" was the customers first impressi... 
Cable Brands
I second what ebm said...Purist Audio Design and Krell are an incredible combination.  Purist rules!  :-) 
best integrated amp.
Classe has the most disjointed time arrival I've ever heard.  Listen to a stand up bass as an example...the fundamental, the upper harmonics, and the nails on the string are totally out of sync with one another.  It's almost like they are out of p... 
Whats a good all around digital cable for under $250. I only need half a meter.
Purist Audio Design, the Genesis Luminist SPDIF has fantastic detail, great frequency balance, very transparent, with a generous soundstage.  Purist rules!  :-)  
Solid state amp to replace my Audio Research Ref 150 amp
Krell Duo 300 sounds fantastic.  Huge soundstage, exquisite detail, and of course Krell bass extension!  It's like having a perfectly integrated sub, but without one.  Nice.  :-) 
Power cables for PassLabs preamp and poweramp
Purist Audio Design - Musaeus AC cable, $535 for a 1.5m  
What used speaker would you buy with $20,000-$35,000 and why?
Magico S5 MkII 
B&W 703 front and HTM7center low end speakers ??
The 703s and HTM7 are highly detailed speakers.  It's only if you compare to say the much more expensive 804S and HTM4S that the 703s begin to sound a bit forward and a bit harsh in the midrange.  But for the money, the 703/HTM7 is tough to beat. ...